And a lot of Microsoft's success was courtesy of partners with aligned interests (not unlike Android, it should be mentioned). Dell, IBM, HP, Compaq (pre-destru

And a lot of Microsoft's success was courtesy of partners with aligned interests (not unlike Android, it should be mentioned). Dell, IBM, HP, Compaq (pre-destruction), and on and on: all assisted in Microsoft's growth to powerhouse. Apple pursued a very different approach -- one that was a running failure for many years -- until they rose, in my opinion, on the back of the iTunes entrenchment. Now they're making major dough by their position, but it's one that few others can emulate (RIM is currently falling hard with the same approach). Can Microsoft cargo-cult and copy one part of that and grow by leaps and bounds? Maybe, or maybe not. De-aligning with their partners is as possibly a disaster in the making.